Archive for May, 2010

Swarm calls this weekend were OK, had a dud swarm of less than a pound of bees on Friday that I just threw into a hive to up the numbers. Then on Sunday I had the biggest swarm I’ve seen. Likely 8-10 lb.
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I also finally got my videos to transcode right for Blip.tv. It’s all about h.264 and a *.mov extention. Blip timed out if I gave it a *.mp4 So be it.
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Video I added was a swarm capture and a honey raid.
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The cathouse hive was cutout and clipped into a Top Bar hive with hair clips. All the comb were fairly small, so the transition had little troubles. I fed them a jar of 1:1 syrup in the back of the hive. Hope they get their feet under them soon, Indian Blanket honeyflow is soon.
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At the outyard, I’m getting a bit crowded. Hive count there is at 10. With 3 KTBH and 7 Langs. I’m not the area can support that number of hives. It is time to sell some of the Langs off, and prepare for more swarms as the second half the swarm season is to arrive. The going rate, according to the Beemaster Forums, is about $150 for a filled 10 frame deep, Plus $50 for filled additional deeps and $35 for filled mediums.

Did a 50 minute drive down to Kyle, TX. Friend of a friend had a small swarm establish in a outdoor elevated cathouse. Cute little house with a big 7″ opening, and …. just the right size to be a swarm trap.

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I peaked into the house and spotted about 5 combs in the dark. Couldn’t see how many bees were on it, but not many. I’ll check on their health this weekend. It is now moved to my outyard.